Registered providers of social housing are regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing, to ensure that we provide good quality homes and services. The Regulator’s Consumer Standards provide a framework to help ensure these standards are achieved. The Regulator is currently revising the consumer standards and is consulting on their proposals.
They have published new draft consumer standards for consultation, showing how they aim to deliver their future consumer regulation role, and the steps they are taking to develop the approach set out in earlier publications.
The four draft consumer standards set out the specific expectations and outcomes that all registered providers will be expected to achieve.
The Regulator expects the final set of standards to be in force from April 2024.
The standards are:
- The Safety and Quality Standard
- The Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard
- The Neighbourhood and Community Standard
- The Tenancy Standard.
The draft standards reflect laws passed by government, most recently the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, and meet expectations set out in the Social Housing White Paper (The charter for social housing residents). They strengthen the role of consumer regulation.
The Social Housing (Regulation) Act amends the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 to give us the Regulator power to issue a Code of Practice in relation to the consumer standards. As part of the consultation, they are seeking views on a draft Code of Practice to amplify the proposed standards and assist registered providers in understanding how they might achieve compliance.
They have also published a regulatory impact assessment and equality impact assessment and welcome views on their conclusions as part of their consultation.
You can find the consultation documents here…
The Regulator wants to hear from tenants about their views of the proposals. You can respond directly to the consultation via the links provided or if you prefer you can tell us what you think by contacting info@tch.org.uk and we will include your views in our response to the consultation.
The consultation ends on 17 October 2023. The Regulator will consider all responses received and then set the final consumer standards and Code of Practice.
